The Prince's Heart
by ItsLukasBondevik
Summary: Mytho lies awake one night, finally putting together what he feels about everyone.


Rue was still out in the practice room that he had furbished especially for her, as Mytho lay awake, his mind hurtling forward at a hundred miles an hour. His heart was so heavy now, as he had gone years and years without one. Rue assured him he would get used to it in time, and he knew she was right. He'd gotten used to living without it, surely he must get used to living with it. Silence enveloped him as he closed his eyes, his mind turning where it always turned when he was alone.

Goldcrown Town.

As far as he knew, the town would not even remember that he and Rue had ever lived there. It was a strange feeling, that only two people in the entire town that had previously known of their existance would even recall their names. Their faces. What they'd been through. Tutu and Fakir would always know Mytho and Rue, and Rue and Mytho would always know Fakir and Tutu. Somehow, all of the people who were not important to the story wouldn't know any better if something happened to the four of them. Mytho didn't often try to wrap his head around it, all it did was open more questions that he couldn't answer and that frustrated him.

Sitting up, Mytho crossed his legs and took a deep breath. A long time ago, he wondered aloud what he thought of Fakir. He asked Tutu what she thought of him. He didn't know what he felt for Rue. Of himself. Those feelings were in his chest, but there were no names for them, nothing to compare. Up until now, it had never really occurred to Mytho that this was so.

He furrowed his brow, remembering, thinking hard as Fakir's face filtered into his mind. Valiant Fakir, brave Fakir. And yet for so long he was frightening Fakir, bossy Fakir, scared Fakir. A man too afraid to die, too afraid to meet his fate. Mytho did not blame the man for being afraid. Mytho would not want to be told that he was the one destined to die without doing anything. Without helping anyone. But Mytho knew he did not hold that against Fakir. Despite all of the torment he had made Mytho endure, the punishment, Mytho could not hate Fakir.

In fact, Mytho had a very large spot in his heart for Fakir. He loved the knight as his brother, as someone he could count on through anything. He knew that if there was any trouble, Fakir would be there to make sure he was safe, to make sure everything would be all right in the end. Mytho smiled and rested his chin in his hand, feeling slightly better about himself for not even bothering to know exactly how he felt about his best friend.

Tutu's face fluttered into his vision, and his heart swelled with graditude. With a bit of reflection, Mytho felt glad that he was even able to say that he was grateful for the girl, to know what it meant to feel that way. She had been his savior more than once, putting his heart back together and helping him save Goldcrown Town from the Raven, helping him rescue Rue. It was something that he would never be able to repay her for, no matter how hard he tried. He felt a strong affection for Tutu, that much was for sure. But it was not love that he felt.

Mytho thought on it for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he adored her. He felt an adoration for the girl that was Tutu and the girl that called herself Duck, and the girl that was indeed a duck. It was a strong emotion, but he felt that she deserved it. She was just someone that was incredibly endearing to him. Before he knew that she was even Princess Tutu, the girl Duck was so clumsy to a fault, so nervous and so happy that he couldn't help but be drawn to her as a person. He immensely enjoyed her presence and her happiness often made him feel happy in return, though he didn't know how to express it.

And he himself. What did he think of himself? With a sigh, he closed his eyes. He was ashamed of what he had done with the Raven's blood inside of him. Trying to take the hearts of all those innocent girls; Pique, Hermia, Freya... All of them. He tried to make them love him so he could steal their heart for a Raven king that he so despised. He placed one slender hand on his chest over his heart. But he also felt that he was lucky to have such great friends. Despite past mistakes, he also knew that he was a brave person, a good person.

"Oh, dear Mytho, what are you thinking of?" Pulled from his musings, Prince Mytho turned to see his lovely princess standing before him, her eyes looking rather curious as to what he was pondering on so hard.

He smiled at her. "Hello, my princess." He took her into his arms and lightly pressed a kiss to her lips. She looked so beautiful to him, despite having practiced hard that day. Her hair was mussed, her face was slightly red, but still she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life.

Rue furrowed her brow. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she queried, feeling her cheeks grow hot as his light eyes examined her face.

"I've been wondering what I think of everyone," he replied lightly, twirling her in his arms. She watched him move to their window and sit on the sill, looking out at the stars. "Of Fakir and Tutu and you, also, Rue." Rue tilted her head, and put her shoes down in their box, holding her hands behind her.

She asked curiously, "What have you found out, my love?"

Mytho smiled at her. "I have never hated Fakir, he is my brother in everything. Tutu brings me hope and happiness, and I will admit that I simply adore her." He laughed and Rue smiled softly, knowing that she felt the same way about Duck. "As for you, my princess, my love," he finished holding his hand out to her. She took it gently, and he pulled her into his arms, one arm looked around her waist and the other holding her hand out with his own. "All those times when you were with me, and I was myself, I felt as though I needed nothing else in my life to make me whole. Even without a heart, having you was the best thing in the world. Nothing makes me happier than having you here with me. I love you more than I have loved anyone in my life."

Rue couldn't keep the rather silly smile from spreading across her face as she turned her head to kiss Mytho. "Would you like to know what I think of you?" she teased, pulling away from him. She placed herself on the windowseat, patting the cushion for him to join her.

"I would like nothing better," he replied simply, sitting down beside her and placing his hand on hers.

Resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, Rue said, "When I see you, my stomach has butterflies. My heart pounds in my chest, and I feel almost lightheaded. That is how I know I'm in love with you. You make me feel whole." She pulled his arms around her tightly, closing her eyes for a moment. "You give me a place, right here," she pointed to his heart, "to call home when all my life I believed I was a ugly child of a Raven, destined to be loved by no one except her false father and a fairy tale prince, that in the end, he planned to kill.

"But you were always this beacon in the night for me. The light in the dark that always kept me safe. You brought me in, you brought me home." They were quiet in each other's arms, enjoying the sound of each other's breathing for all it was worth. There was something that Mytho had never appreciated, having a heart. He never knew how much it hurt to not have it until he got it back. He didn't know what it meant to love, to be grateful for, to trust and to hope. To feel so much happiness at once was a gift that he would never take for granted again.

Rue whispered into the darkness, "I love you Mytho."

"I love you," was Mytho's reply.


End file.
